


Outpost

by WalkoftheQilin



Category: Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Dream Smp, Gen, l'manburg, sad feels, tubbo dozes off on watchtower duty
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-29
Updated: 2020-10-29
Packaged: 2021-03-08 19:02:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,078
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27271612
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WalkoftheQilin/pseuds/WalkoftheQilin
Summary: Pre-festival. Tubbo reminisces on the past.
Relationships: No Romantic Relationship(s), Toby Smith | Tubbo & TommyInnit
Kudos: 54





	Outpost

Waking up to an angry Tommy is never a good thing.

So when Tubbo, dozing away, hears Tommy shout “What the hell?” very close to him, not only does he wake up with a start, he jumps to his feet and draws out the sword clipped to his belt in one smooth movement.

It’s only Tommy, with a tray in his hand and frowning at him. “Tubbo, you fucking fell asleep!”

Tubbo opens and closes his mouth for a good five seconds, bewildered. When he looks out at the land in front of him, he sees no burning trees, no Dream Team with arrows pulled back, their points aimed at the two.

Ah, okay. So Tommy was only angry at him.

“Sorry, Tommy,” Tubbo mumbles, bringing a hand up to his head. “I don’t- I don’t know what happened there. I’ll try not to do it again.”

No sooner have those words been spoken than Tubbo’s head nearly splits open with a yawn. Tommy frowns even more. Mortified, Tubbo sheaths his sword and desperately hopes he doesn’t tell this to Wilbur, because he knows Wilbur will get angry as he’s more prone to do nowadays.

“Here.”

“What?”

“Here,” Tommy repeats. “I brought you dinner.”

He extends out the tray, and Tubbo notices for the first time how it’s piled with food, cooked salmon and potatoes, a side of mushroom soup and bread, even a few cookies that Fundy had baked earlier. The reminder that he’s missing dinner makes his stomach growl quietly.

“Sorry, Tommy,” he says apologetically. “I’m still on my shift.”

“Oh, for fuck’s sake.” Tommy shoves the tray in his hands and moves him to the side. “Let’s switch now. It’s only gonna be another hour until my shift, and you look dead tired already. Go eat.”

“Really?”

“Yeah.” Tommy crosses his arms and turns to face the land in front of them.

“What about your dinner?”

“I already ate, Tubbo,” he says dismissively. He doesn’t look a bit tired.

Tubbo stares at the tray for longer than he would like. “I…I don’t want to go back to the dining hall. I don’t want to make them worry about me.”

_Or get upset with me._

Tommy rolls his eyes. “Then sit here and eat. You can bring the tray back when you finish.”

He makes it sound so obvious that Tubbo finds himself cross-legged on the ground, a few feet away from Tommy, eating dinner while watching him from the corner of his eye. Tommy really doesn’t look tired at all. His back is straight as a board, and he looks left and right across the land with a clinical precision. Tubbo doesn’t doubt that he would spot the slightest movement of an approaching enemy.

He’s really grown into his position as vice president, Tubbo marvels. He looks like a true leader. A feeling of guilt nags him all the way through dinner, and only when he’s finished does he muster the courage to bring it up.

“I’m sorry about falling asleep,” he blurts out. Tommy glances over at him, surprised. “Wilbur would be disappointed in me.”

Tommy sighs. “It’s okay, Tubbo. Dream hasn’t attacked us since the end of the war, I doubt he’ll attack now.”

“Yes, but I would have failed Wilbur in protecting L’Manburg. I would have failed L’Manburg,” Tubbo insists. Independence was a great step forward, but they’re still colts, shaky on their legs, and everyone should put in their best effort to make sure L’Manburg succeeds. That's what Wilbur had said, anyway. Tubbo shouldn’t have fallen asleep.

Tommy’s quiet for a second, scanning the horizon. Tubbo looks down at his tray. It's empty. He should probably head back to the hall and face Wilbur-

“You didn’t fail L’Manburg, Tubbo,” Tommy suddenly says. “During the war, you worked probably the hardest out of all of us, making sure we had all our supplies and gear. And after the war, you worked the hardest to help us rebuild L’Manburg. That’s why you fell asleep, Tubbo. You’ve been working too hard.”

Tubbo rubs his fingernail on the tray absentmindedly. “I’m sure I haven’t, not compared to the rest of you.”

“No, you have, you have, Tubbo.” Tommy’s the one insisting now. “Wilbur’s mentioned to me a few times about letting you take a break, but I didn’t want to because I knew you wouldn’t listen. But you've got to listen to me now, Tubbo. Everyone needs a break sometimes, you most of all.”

His nails scrap against the metal, filling in the sudden silence that falls between them. Tommy’s always been brusque with him, even though they’re best friends. Their friendship is a quiet one, acknowledged through actions and teamwork rather than words. For Tommy to sit him down and talk to him like this- well, his words resonate unexpectedly.

“Thanks, Tommy,” Tubbo says softly.

Tommy rolls his eyes again, but he looks relieved. “Nothing to it, Tubbo. You should go to bed now.”

“Yeah, I think I will.” Tubbo pulls himself to his feet, balancing the tray in both hands as he does. “I’ll see you tomorrow, alright?”

“Night, Tubbo.” Tommy’s already facing forward. Tubbo turns to go down the walls.

“Night, Tommy.”

* * *

Tubbo starts awake. For a second he’s still lost in the past, caught up in the wave of gratitude and warmth of security, of family, of home. Then he realizes where he is.

He’s in his office. It’s four hours past midnight. In front of him, the plans of Schlatt’s upcoming festival, still roughly drawn out and half finished. He stares at it. It stares back.

Tubbo drags his hands over his face. He really shouldn’t have been sleeping. If Schlatt had popped in at any moment during his nap, he would’ve had hell to pay. Schlatt trusts him, and he needs to keep that trust if he wants to be able to help L’Manburg.

A sound comes from his mouth- half a laugh, half a sob, but he shakes his head roughly. He can’t be weak now. Wilbur and Tommy are out there, fighting to save their nation, and he needs to do his part if he wants to help. He’s doing this for L’Manburg, for Wilbur and Tommy.

Still. Still. He knows how important his role is within the walls, but still he wishes he could be with Wilbur and Tommy. Waking up to an angry Tommy is never a good thing, but Tubbo misses it anyway.

**Author's Note:**

> if this work looks familiar, it's because it was the third chapter of a series of short oneshots i was writing. i've been doing some reshuffling recently and figured since it was longer it should be a standalone work.  
> thanks for reading!


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